On Joe’s suggestion, I read Trigger Men: Shadow Team, Spider-Man, the Magnificent Bastards, and the American Combat Sniper. If you’re interested in the mechanics of war fighting vis-a-vis the sniper, the book is interesting. A lot is made in the first few pages about the unflinching look at a side of killing people blah blah blah; I suspect anyone that Takes Life Seriously has thought enough about the process that none of the verbiage is shocking or disturbing in the least.
I realize that some points bear repeating; when every person interviewed makes the same point, perhaps some editing could be employed to cut down on page count. A nice executive summary at the front would have been nice; I’ll give you two of mine:
For the sniper:
- Surviving training to become a sniper is harder than being a sniper.
- Most engagements are at close range with M4 or M16s.
- Forget one shot one kill; try for two shots, one kill.
- Snipers are misused by every branch of the military.
For those managing snipers:
- Snipers are misused by every branch of the military; don’t be “that guy”.
Enjoy; I did.
